After thanking the doll maid for the tea and snacks, I briefly described to Yao what had happened in the past few days and explained Hikari's current predicament. While sipping my tea, I waited for Yao's reply after some contemplation.
Fortunately, the wait wasn't too long.
Just as I was wondering if I should send some tea and snacks to Hikari to keep her from getting hungry, Yao finally opened his eyes.
I have a general understanding of the situation.
She nodded gently: "Although what you and Hikari did at the transit hub was a bit too reckless, fortunately the final result was not bad. I believe you have reflected on your actions, so I won't nag you anymore. Just tell Hikari not to reveal our names casually when she comes back."
"Do you have enemies or something?" Despite some speculation, I couldn't suppress my curiosity.
Yao glanced at me and said, "Too many people are watching us. We just don't want to get into trouble."
She seemed reluctant to say more, pursed her lips, and then said, "Regarding the matter of the Dark Zone, although you handled it quite well, you didn't consider things enough. Putting aside the fact that you went straight in without doing any prior reconnaissance—I don't think you would dare to make that mistake again next time—it was too reckless for just three people to dare to infiltrate the edge of the zone."
"I only agreed to it after confirming that the new recruits had the necessary abilities..."
I tried to argue back quietly, but was met with a sharp glare. His dazzling, gem-like eyes suddenly shone brightly, almost stinging my eyes, forcing me to look away and stop trying to explain.
"Confirmation does not guarantee complete protection."
The calm voice continued: "In the past, even some of the most powerful figures perished in the Dark Zone. Did they not believe they had sufficient ability and made adequate preparations before choosing to enter? They all met with disaster, let alone you, a mere novice mage who hasn't even unleashed your magic ring. You're still a rookie, yet you really think you're about to soar to the heavens?"
But when those people fell, the Black Tide's impact hadn't stopped yet, and people hadn't even figured out the true nature of that crisis—I wanted to argue with them like that, but then I thought that saying it would be too insulting to those predecessors who had given everything, so I could only swallow these disrespectful words.
"As for your choice to send Hikari back and face the true form of the Unknown Being yourself..."
Yao stepped forward again, forcefully grabbing my chin and not allowing me to escape.
She squinted her eyes, and I could almost hear the clanging of her clenched teeth in her voice, like hard stones striking each other, as if a sharp weapon was gesturing across my skin, calculating the best spot to make a cut.
"Master of the Box Garden, are you an idiot?" She finally gave up the idea of taking action, but raised her voice, which was rare for her. "At that time, you should still have the ability to break through, so why did you choose the most dangerous option? Exposing your weakness in front of an unknown entity, wouldn't that just make you someone else's fish on the chopping block?"
"Yes, you just want to know what the other person is thinking because you haven't sensed any malice from them. But maintaining a non-malicious state while assassinating is a necessary skill for many assassins. Weakness is also a necessary factor in pushing the weak to their deaths."
Yes, I know, you're right.
I couldn't refute it, so I could only bow my head and agree.
Yao did seem quite angry, which was very different from the image I usually saw her in. But I could tell that she was genuinely concerned about me, so I didn't argue too much. I just sat to the side, obediently nodding in agreement, while watching the doll-like maids serve me lavishly.
I don't even know whether to call her schizophrenic or doing some kind of performance art. How can a person's words and actions and a person's subconscious mind be so different?
Yao continued to say some irrational things, and even issued a warning: "Master of the Box Garden, I hope you can understand one thing: if you really die somewhere inexplicably, then even this last haven that you have spent so much effort to create will return to nothingness."
That won't do!
I immediately sprang up from the soft sofa, raised my hands and promised that I would never make the same mistake again, hoping this would improve her mood.
"I'll go talk to that flower fairy again later," she concluded, marking the end of the chapter.
Then, the final question.
“Hikari still hasn’t dealt with her problem? That’s easy.” She snapped her fingers. “You pull her upper body back first, and then—[Dark], it’s time to get to work.”
After a brief silence, I looked at the half-woman's head rising from the shadows beneath my feet, and couldn't help but let out a howl, quickly leaping onto the table.
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